From the Space Race to the arms race, from politics to sport, East and West have long been locked in epic rivalry.

But not since Rocky Balboa stepped into the ring with Ivan Drago in Rocky IV has there been a Cold War head-to-head as explosive as the one at present.

In the blue corner is Mowgleaves Stonehenge , a young Anglo-American upstart from London hoping for a world-first double in his first competitive year.

In the red corner is title holder Rumfold Such a Flirt Shu-Ko, the pride of Moscow. The sport? Cat fancying. The competitors? Pedigree moggies.

Rumfold Such a Flirt Shu-Ko, nickname Sashock, is the reigning champion in the adult category and current number one in the league table. He comes from the cattery of legendary Russian cat breeder Nadejda Rumyantseva.

Rumfold Such a Flirt Shu-Ko, the pride of Moscow

Snapping at his paws is Mowgleaves Stonehenge, Stone for short, who topped the kitten league earlier in the season.

With just weeks to go before the season ends, all is set for a claw-biting finale. And in a twist worthy of a Star Wars storyline, Sashock is Stone’s father.

Both were vying for points in the The International Cat Association champions league.

Sashock was at a show in the USA, while Stone was strategically in Italy.

In a complex scoring system, show cats accumulate points not only for their characteristics and appearance but also for the other cats they beat.

Globally, cat fancying attracts up to a million spectators a year, with thousands of shows. TICA is the biggest cat fancying organisation and runs around 1,500 shows of its own across the world.

A seven-month-old "werewolf cat", Susi (Image: Getty)

Last month Stone, an American shorthair, and Sashock, a Scottish fold, came muzzle-to-muzzle at LondonCats, the UK feline answer to Crufts.

PR boss Steven Meserve, 42, co-owns Stone with Cheshire vet Dr Vikki Moran. Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, he has lived in London for 20 years and is one of LondonCats’ organisers.

We went along as around 2,000 spectators watched some 220 cats compete.

And while the show, held in a leisure centre in Surrey, attracted its fair share of wild-haired mad cat ladies, there were also plenty of families and hipsters.

“Cats have serious momentum right now, what with all the virals and YouTube videos,” Steven says.

“Then you have cat cafes, the film A Street Cat Named Bob, and even an annual all-night cat festival [Catnip] in London with DJs.

“The plan is to get LondonCats to an expo level like the London Pet Show, but just for cats. It is the right time to do it.”

Legendary Russian cat breeder Nadejda Rumyantseva

Steven jets around the world with Stone but, due to strict UK laws forbidding animals in the cabin, has to take a ferry to the continent first and fly from Holland. This season he has spent more than £25,000 chasing his dream.

After LondonCats he went to Paris, where Stone accumulated points and leapt from 50th to 8th in the league. Italy was a strategic gamble.

Steven says: “I know the Russian was at a big show in Oregon at the weekend, along with several of the other cats in the top 10.

"They would have all cancelled each other out because they would have split the judges and shared the points.

“I went to a lesser-known show near Milan, where Stone had a better chance of picking up points.”

TICA recognises more than 50 cat breeds, from Persians and Burmese to exotic Bengals and hairless Peterbalds.

And then there are plain weird ones, such as the Lykoi, or werewolf cat – the result of genetic mutation.

A hairless Peterbald cat

Show cats are judged on how closely they conform to the ideal characteristics of their breed. Unlike dogs, they cannot be persuaded to do agility tests.

Instead, they recline in luxury pens until they are judged. And the more moggies a cat beats, the more points it is awarded.

These accumulate through the season, which runs from May 1 to April 31.

The only money to be made is from stud cats. A normal kitten from a pedigree breeder can sell for around £1,500, but a top male breeding champion can sell for around £3,000 to £5,000.

But Steven says: “You could make money selling kittens, but for most of us that’s not the driving goal. Breeding a cat of such quality is a huge sense of accomplishment. It’s all about the cat.”

Meanwhile, to the east of Moscow, Sashock’s owner Nadejda is hoping her “boy” beats his son to the top slot.

Stone with owner Steven

She has been breeding cats since 1995 and travels the world giving seminars on cat grooming and genetics, as some breeds cannot mate with others.

She also owns cat salons and a range of cat toiletries, and her Scottish fold bloodline is arguably the most sought after in the world.

She says: “I have the biggest cattery in Europe but not all my cats live with me. I have staff who care for them 24 hours a day. In my home, I have around 25 adults and 40 kittens.

“I have eight co-owners who have my breeding females and males and help me make my breeding programme.”

Nadejda is now concentrating on the end of the show season.

“We can only win at big shows with a high point count. We have to plan it very well,” she says.

“Ultimately, it is a cat, not a toy and I don’t want him to become tired. If he has two or three weeks’ break between shows he feels perfect.”

But she admits: “America is catching up. Russia is proud of my cat, but as Steven’s cat was born from my boy it doesn’t matter who is first or second.”

Stone and Sashock will face each other again at two shows in France before the end of the season, which will decide the final placings. Yet Steven and Nadejda are firm friends.

Steven says: “The Russian is quite a pretty cat. But Stone only has four shows as an adult under his belt, so to be as highly ranked as he is is really impressive.

“The same cat has never won kitten and adult in the same year and you only get one shot so, I’m sorry Nadejda, but I’m going for it.”

In the red corner

Rumfold such a flirt shu-ko (18 months)

Nationality: Russian

Hometown: Historic cattery, Likino, Russia

Current adult cat fancying standing: 1st

Highest standing as kitten: 300th

Breed characteristics: Droopy ears

Career opportunities: Merchandising tie-ins with own range of toiletries

Rumfold is the only winner, says Polly Hudson

The easiest gig in the world? Being one of the judges who has to choose between these two cats. There is literally no competition.

Rumfold Such A Flirt Shu-Ko must obviously be the victor. We should probably try to forget that these competitors are father and son – after all, whatever the outcome, their future relationship is likely to be tense and full of resentment at best. We may even see them on Jeremy Kyle one day.

But as the dad, Rumfold has life experience and wisdom on his side. He is also a much nicer colour than his son, because grey is soothing, very now, and goes with everything. And that’s all before we’ve even mentioned the ears.

Rumfold has a USP, a uniqueness – in a world of cats whose ears point upwards, he’s not afraid to be different. He is an aural maverick. For that alone, he must triumph. Rumfold for the win!